Sleeping with The Past
by millie-mione
Summary: Both Constance Hardbroom and Petunia Dursley carry emotional scars known only to themselves. Constance Hardbroom belongs to Jill Murphy, and Petunia dursley belongs to J.K.Rowling.


Petunia Evans wrung her hands nervously anticipating the judge's decision as to whether or not the potions prize would be hers or not. She and another student named Constance Hardbroom were neck in neck to win the prize. Petunia and Constance were both asked to create a difficult potion named the 'ectoplasmic flesh' from memory. They were each given the written ingredients to study for three hours.   
  
Petunia and Constance met the judges in their headquarters where each of them had to create the viscous substance that protected vampires from daylight.Petunia and Constance had performed confidently, but the true test of ability would come when a Judge named Arnold Cosgrove, a vampire had placed the solution on both his hands. Judge Cosgrove would go to sleep with both his hands exposed to the daylight. Whichever of his hands had blistered would let him know who had failed.  
  
Petunia saw Judge Cosgrove enter the room where she and Constance both stood. He opened his mouth to say who the winner was, and Petunia fainted.   
Miss Cackle and Miss Bat awoke her. Miss Cackle said" I never knew that winning could make anybody behave so hysterically. I heard you scream, and I came running;because, I thought that you werein danger of some sort."   
  
"You mean I won, Miss Cackle," ? Petunia asked.  
  
"Yes, you did, Petunia. We're all happy for you, dear,"Miss Bat said smiling.   
  
"Hello Petunia, I came to see how you were and to congratulate you on your victory, "Constance said.   
  
"Thank you so much, Constance. I never thought that I could have beaten such a champion as you. Your work record is so formidably excellent. It was a total honor to be in your company. I'll never forget this for as long as I live,"Petunia said.  
  
Constance left the room afraid. She knew that Broomhead would scold her harshly. Most of it would come from the fact that she was Broomhead's niece, and no one in her family had ever folded in a competition before.   
  
"Hello, Constance,dear," Judge Cosgrove had said. "I was just speaking to Miss Broomhead telling her how both potions were good. Petunia's just lasted two hours longer. You'll be somebody special one day, Constance.,don't worry about this competition."   
  
Heckitty Broomhead said their goodbyes for them and dragged Constance to where she was sure that nobody would hear them and said , "Every competition is an opportunity to show who we are, and what we can do. Our victories are like armor, and your defeat today left a big gaping hole in yours. People will always remember you as the girl who could have,but didn't."   
  
Those words stuck with Constance her whole life. She always felt a stab at her self-confidence whenever she remembered her "failure", as Heckitty had called it. The bell to change classes rung and let her know that it was time to prep herself for class. She wiped her tears and looked in her mirror to see whether or not she had any traces of red or pink in her face.   
  
Unbeknownst to Constance her long ago rival Petunia Evans, now Petunia Dursley, sat at her table crying about how she sacrificed her dreams to be great to love a man who hated what she was. She sat day in and day out listening to Vernon down her sister and all magical people when he didn't know that he swore to love, honor, and cherish one. She knew that all her knowledge would die if she didn't find some form of expression for it. But where? Was there no outlet, no escape?   
  
Fate brought them together as rivals long ago. Now she let them both share the pain of longing as sisters . Constance , always hearing and bowing to the voice of Heckitty's scathing message, and Petunia, always seeing her husband's symbolic persecution of what she was taking place in the life of her nephew, Harry. Both of them willing to rid themselves of the pain that seared itself into their very souls. 


End file.
